A Really Nice Shot
by Silenced Doves
Summary: Sometimes our dreams fade away to be replaced by responsibility. It isn't always a choice to give up your dreams even with everyone else's support they sometimes fall apart. Ash has given up on his dream of being a Pokemon Master. In an underhanded move Gary and Dawn have set a plan in motion to revive Ash's dream and bring May and Ash back together.
1. Destiny comes calling

A/N: First I am not abandoning Burning Nightmare. I just needed a little break from the emotional intensity of that story. This will be updated now and again but it is primarily going to be romantically driven with a little bit of pokemon fighting. This one will be Ash and May. Kinda need it for the story line to work. I have read a fair number of pokemon stories and a common thread seems to be the revenge/betrayal stories where Ash's friends turn on him. Of course he comes back and proves them all wrong in the end. I kinda had an idea about this kind of thread in reverse. What if Ash gave up on his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master despite his friend's protests? I figured I would explore this. If someone else has done this already I apologize I just haven't found it yet. I will probably continue this based on interest from people/when I need a break from Burning Nightmare.

Chapter 1 – Destiny comes calling

Kanto –Ketchum Residence

"Phone call, Phone call." The Ketchum's vid phone system called out to the empty residence in vain. A television was left on by the residents and a TV reporter continued to provide the evening news. "And in other news Pallet House has expanded for the fifth time in the past four years making Celadon City the newest site. Ms. Ketchum the original owner and head chef of the Pallet Town, Pallet House, gives all credit to her son who returned to assist his mother four years ago. We here at the channel 5 station wish the Ketchum's good luck on their latest venture into Celadon City." Once more the vid phone rang. "Phone call, Phone call." After a few more rings when no one picked up the vid phone finally went silent. The caller on the other end giving up on finding either of the normal residents at the house since if someone was home the phone would have been answered almost immediately.

Kanto – Pallet House Corporate Headquarters.

"Phone call, Phone call." A groan came from Ash when he heard his vid phone chirping by his desk. "Come on who the hell is calling this late." Muttering in displeasure at the late call that was probably a business call knowing his luck, Ash took a quick look into the mirror. Straightening up his tie and making sure his suit was buttoned, he decided he looked tidied up enough for the call. One last attempt to straighten out his mess of a hair and Ash hit the accept button.

A voice came out of the speakers before the video even had a chance to materialize. "Ash! I called your house and once more I find you at work! You are worse than Gramps!"

Sighing in resignation, Ash steeled himself for another "conversation" with his once rival and best friend. "Hello Professor. Oak." He let a bored tone enter his voice as a small smirk worked its way to the edge of his lips.

Watching in amusement, Ash watched as Gary beat his hand against the table in anger. "Don't you dare take that tone with me! You promised you would come out training last night and you were a no show for the fourth time this week."

"Sorry Gary but I had some issues with permits in Celadon and if I didn't get it straightened out it would have pushed opening back another week." Leaning back in his chair, Ash unbuttoned his suit jacket to relax a little. Carefully keeping his face blank, one glimmer of weakness and Gary would pounce like a Jolteon.

Gary's voice took on a mocking tone as he repeated Ash's words right back to him in a high pitched voice. "My name is Ash Ketchum and I have got super important things to do and am too busy ignoring my friends and pokemon to go home at a normal time like everyone else."

"Oh get off it Gary. You know I don't like the fact I am unable to train my pokemon as much as I used to able to."

"I'm just reminding you. After your mom got better you had a chance to return to your journey. You know complete your dream of becoming a Pokemon Master." Gary's face turned serious as he leaned in towards his monitor. "You know you let a lot of people down. So much talent and instead you sit behind a desk all day."

Twitching a little, Ash fought down the small tic of his eyebrow. It was really the only indication that Ash was getting annoyed. Over the years he had really gotten a hold of his anger to the point that it was rarely noticeable. Running an expanding business would do that to you. "We have been down this road before Gary. I am happy where I am. It may not be what I imagined I would be doing but I couldn't leave my mother again healthy or not. I am all she has and it would have killed her if I left again."

A sigh came across the speakers and momentarily distorted the sound. "I know I know. It is just that everyone misses you and whenever I run into Max or Dawn they always ask after you. Hell even some of the pokemon gym leaders that lost to you miss you."

"Hey I see everyone now and again!" Denial and indignation started to creep through Ash's voice. Mostly because both Gary and Ash knew that by now and again, Ash meant the Christmas party that Dawn threw every year in an attempt to get all of the gang together with a few notable exceptions.

Snorting at Ash's comment, Gary rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Look Ashy boy seeing everyone at Christmas and when they blow through town on their next journey really doesn't count. Anyway I did have an ulterior motive for calling you."

Warning lights started to flash in Ash's mind. Gary and ulterior motive never ended well for him that was a fact. "And what is that?" He almost didn't want to know and hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Yeah, you think your mom could handle running Pallet House for a while maybe say a month or so?"

"Probably…I mean I would have to check in now and again. Perhaps run a few meetings but I could let most of the day to day operations go to my mother for a while." Musing a little over the details and what he could hand over without his mother yelling at him. She had been insisting that he needed a vacation for a while now.

Gary's grin almost sparkled as he realized that he had Ash just where he wanted him. "Excellent because guess what!" Leaving no time for Ash to respond, Gary plowed on with his information. "They just announced a new tournament in Kanto region. It is called the Light of the Stars Tournament. It is going to be the first tournament ever that will be for both Coordinators and Trainers. They are going to have separate tournaments for the Coordinators and the Trainers and then for those that think they have the skills there will be a tournament that incorporates battle and pageantry. Only the best Trainers and Coordinators will be invited. It just so happens that our entire group qualifies one way or another. Even our elusive Ash Ketchum who disappeared off of the battle scene over four years ago still commands enough respect to warrant an invite."

"That's great Gary…I am still not interested." Ash flatly declined the invitation, truthfully he was not that interested in competing any more.

"Oh come on Ketchum! Even May is going to be there! Max told us so and no one has seen her in four years. Even Max has only had contact with her over the phone she has been so busy. Say what happened between you two anyway? One second you two are inseparable. Your mother gets sick and all of a sudden you both drop off the face of the earth."

"May? But…I thought she wouldn't have the time with her career and all." Pausing a moment, Ash realized a little too late he had shown interest. Interest equated weakness in Gary's mind. 'Ah shit…'

Even over the computer monitor Gary's eyes practically glittered in excitement. "Well it isn't a surprise really I mean she is going to be covering it, being that she is now the co-host of the Coordinator network's Battler's Review."

A frown crossed Ash's features as he worked everything out. "May never agreed did she. You just convinced everyone else to get together…probably on Dawn's insistence. Once you get my approval you are planning on ambushing May and catching her completely unaware. Then you and Dawn are going to attempt to push May and I back together." Judging by Gary's nervous face, Ash knew that he had either hit the nail on the head or was close enough that Gary realized the jig was up.

"Well…no…Dawn just thought it would be a surprise for you two. Everyone together again for a reunion and catch up on everything, you gotta admit Ash boy after you gave up we all started to drift apart. You were the glue that held us all together."

Knowing that if he rejected Gary's request, Dawn would step in and start her warpath of persuasion until Ash would finally cave, he decided to just cut to the quick. "Fine Gary…fine but you and Dawn are not allowed to play match maker or so help me I will kill the both of you. You are both worse than teenage girls." Grumbling in resignation over his voluntary torture, Ash pulled up the details on the Light of the Stars tournament on his computer.

On the other line Gary was already pumping his arm in victory. "Alright! Now Ash I already have a training schedule set up for you and your pokemon to get back into fighting shape."

"No."

"What do you mean no? You just agreed to go to the tournament with us! That means you have to enter Ashy boy!"

"I agreed to go with you but that doesn't mean I agreed to enter the actual tournament. I will just be another spectator."

Gary appeared a little downtrodden at Ash's proclamation until a moment later a small smirk came to his face. "Well that is too bad. I did you the honor of entering you into the tournament for you! I knew you wouldn't do it without a little push!"

"GARY!" Yelling only caused the spikey haired researcher to laugh aloud before blowing a raspberry at his overly mature friend.

"Sorry Ash! Ta Ta for now, I will be over tomorrow night to start training with you. I did the honor of selecting your three teams for you!"

"Gary!" Call terminated flashed across Ash's screen. The bastard had cut out before Ash could respond. Sighing in frustration, Ash checked the time. It was a little past six in the evening which meant his mother was probably still at the Pallet House in town taking care of the dinner rush.

Letting his eyes wander over the numerous pictures and accolades that decorated his office, Ash found himself stopping on one in particular. It was the first exposé on him really and it was right after his mother had turned the corner for the better. Ash had originally taken over Pallet House to hold it down for his mother so it did not go under. Those first few months he thought he was going to lose her, the cancer had been bad…real bad stage 3 with no signs of stopping.

Somehow though his mother not only pulled through but she was healthier than ever before from what the Doctor's had told them. Reading the print a small smile came to his face. "Ash Ketchum the only son to the popular Delia Ketchum took over the Pallet House to try to keep it afloat. Surprisingly in this heart breaking story, this young man must have truly found his calling. Pallet House became a go to place for travelers and locals alike. With Ash's simple slogan of 'We guarantee to satisfy anyone's pallet at Pallet House' he found his business burgeoning. Today we celebrate Pallet House's first expansion into Pewter Town. The locals and travelers alike are already excited to be able to experience Pallet House cuisine. We hope that Mr. Ketchum continues to surprise us with his unique cooking for years to come."

It had really been a personal achievement for him. To be honest he had never expected Pallet House to take off like it did. When he returned home to his at the time dying mother he just wanted to keep Pallet House afloat until his mother passed. Seeing Pallet House go under would have broken his mother just the same as if he left again. The year of traveling had been hard on his mother. When he was younger he was too youthful and ignorant to see it. By the time he had traveled to Sinnoh he willfully ignored. Unova caused him to feel like scum of the earth, every time she called she would hide the tears and he would smile like he didn't notice. Unova was also when he learned she was dying. Of course his mother tried to hide it. That was until Professor Oak called.

In a way Ash was thankful for the man's intervention. If not for him he may have never returned home. Small pinpricks tugged at the corners of his eyes. Getting lost in the past was a dangerous thing to do. Too many regrets resided in the past and he kept those at bay by living in the present.

Wiping his eyes with the back of his suit sleeve and muttering to himself, Ash decided to indulge himself in his guilty pleasure. With a flick of the remote laying on his rich red oak executive style desk, a large TV screen blinked to life across the room.

May Maple's image suddenly filled the screen as Battler's Review started. Whatever her cohost just said must have been hilarious because May was laughing so hard a snort escaped from her before she covered up her mouth with an embarrassed hiccup.

"Welcome back to Battler's Review! My lovely co-host May Maple is currently being murdered by my charming personality." The screen panned out to take in both May Maple and a blonde haired man. Ash honestly never bothered to learn the man's name because he found him obnoxious. A smattering of applause from the audience indicated that most people felt differently about the man on screen.

"Barry Stop it! You are not funny!" Swinging her arms wildly and obviously enraged, May was making an attempt at Barry's life from the looks of it.

For his part, Barry managed to fend off the violent woman while managing to keep his laughter in check. "Alright alright I am sorry May but seriously can we get down to business?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. I am always the height of professionalism." On screen May visibly took a moment to compose herself and wave her hand across her flushed face.

"Right right but you know the newest tournament is coming up in only a few months!

"Well of course Barry everyone knows that only the greatest trainers and coordinators are being invited to the Light of the Stars tournament. This is going to be one of the greatest productions ever and the first attempt to merge both battlers and pageants into one event! I for one am excited!"

Laughing at the gun ho attitude his co-host displayed, Barry waved his arms to calm the screaming live audience down to a manageable level. "Yes it will be an event to remember. I am just as excited since we are going to be hosting our show right from the tournament grounds from start to finish! Tune in right here for the most up to date coverage."

"Yes we will bring you all the information you need all the top trainers and more!" Chiming in, May shot a winning smile to her audience both in studio and at home.

Barry smile for a moment longer before his face became serious. "Speaking of trainers there are some rumors that Ash Ketchum is not only coming out of retirement but has a shot at taking the whole conference. People will remember him from his solid placements in all the major regional cups. From talking with both gym leaders and Masters of the arts alike they all believe that Ash's time off may actually work in his favor."

Hundreds of miles away from the studio, Ash was plastered in his seat watching on in horror as they brought his name up. Skin that was normally a tan color had suddenly turned white as Ash's mind was racing wondering who had started this rumor up. In fact Gary had only confirmed he would be attending minutes ago. This meant the source was probably Dawn…the girl had a tendency to gossip just a little too much.

"Woah woah woah. Hold on a moment. Ash Ketchum is competing?" This was the first time May was hearing about this and it showed. Genuine surprise was clearly evident on her face.

Barry gave her an odd look before a light bulb seemed to go off in his head. "Hey yeah! I forgot you traveled with the Restaurant Magnate during his trip through Hoenn didn't you!"

"Err…yeah but that was years ago."

"Well no problem. I am sure two old friends would love to catch up and what better time than an interview on Battler's Review! I just spoke with our Director before we aired and he just confirmed that Ash would be giving his first public interview concerning his time off and what he has been doing to get back into peak performance for this tournament on Battler's Review!"

The rest of the show was lost on Ash. Instead he was stuck just staring blankly at the TV. The only conciliation was that May appeared to be in the same boat as he was currently in. Currently the most prominent thought going through Ash's mind was how he was going to kill Gary and Dawn. Most likely this was all Dawn with Gary providing the fine details concerning Ash but he didn't care. "I'm going to leave this office. Go to Gary's house and kill him. I am sure Professor Oak will understand."

After what felt like hours but was probably only until the remainder of the show wrapped up, Ash sat in his chair just thinking up ways on how to murder Gary. Finally realizing it was getting dark out, Ash packed up for the day and headed home. He would deal with this problem tomorrow…hopefully.

A/N: Well tell me what you think and if anyone is interested in a story line like this continuing. I know it is a departure from Burning Nightmare but I will say in a way it is really easy to write. If I garner enough interest the next chapter will probably be a further set up to the tournament and some training. I will probably move to the tournament fairly quickly and jump over the months of training Ash back into shape other than the next chapter so I can get to more May and Ash interaction. Thanks again.


	2. A time bomb waiting to explode

A/N: Onto Chapter 2! Thanks again for the reviews so far!

Chapter Two: A time bomb waiting to explode

Pallet Town – Ketchum Residence

"Mom! I'm home! Mom are you back yet? Helllllloooo!" Ash yelled out after opening the front door to his childhood home.

"Mime mime mime!" Mr. Mime appeared from the living room with a broom in hand. The psychic pokemon smiled at first until his eyes tracked down to Ash's feet.

Following Mr. Mime's eyes, Ash looked down and realized he was in trouble. Despite being a fairly responsible business man, he still took the short cuts home. Short cuts that were not paved…and normally had mud and leaves along the path and if there was one thing that Mr. Mime hated it was dirt in his clean house.

"MIME!" Mr. Mime raised his broom in a fighting stance his eyes focused in on the mud caked trainers that Ash had changed into for the run home.

Raising his hands up in an attempt to calm the OCD pokemon down, Ash slowly started to back out the door. Unknowingly leaving mud all over the entry way. "Now Mr. Mime…calm down…I promise I am going to take my shoes off. I would never walk into the house with muddy shoes."

Mr. Mime and Ash both knew it was a complete lie. To this day the number of times he had tracked mud throughout the house numbered well into the thousands. "See…See…" Ash made a big show of taking off his shoes.

Of course being in such a hurry to appease the OCD pokemon, Ash managed to accidently spray the wet mud all across the entry way and onto the wall. Mr. Mime's eyes widened in rage at the spray of mud that coated the entry way.

Ash's eyes also widened as he realized what just happened. He knew if there was one thing Mr. Mime considered a flagrant act of disrespect it was actively dirtying the house whether on purpose or not. "Now hold on Mr. Mime it was just an accident!"

"Mime Mime Mime Mr. Mime!" After a brief pause the oddly humanoid pokemon started to chase Ash with his broom trying to drive the bane of his existence from the house.

For his part, Ash despite not traveling for a number of years managed to dodge out of the way. Mr. Mime continued to rain blows down on the young man and Ash managed to avoid or outrun most.

This was the scene that Ms. Ketchum walking in on ten minutes or so later. The older auburn woman let out a small laugh and shook her head. Her son must have done something to set off poor Mimey again. "Mimey! Ash! I'm home!"

The two suddenly skidded to a stop and ceased their antics. Mr. Mime had the decency to look slightly ashamed that his master caught him chasing Ash around the house. Ash on the other hand just laughed aloud at being caught by his mother in such a childish game of cat and mouse.

"Welcome home Mom."

Shaking her head in amusement, Delia held up the giant packed basket that she had been carrying to eye level so both Ash and Mimey could see. "Not to interrupt the fun but I brought home dinner from Pallet House. I'm sorry I was late getting home but Mina called out sick so I stayed to cover."

"Don't worry mom, I just got home. I had a last minute call from Gary. Here let me take that for you." Resisting the urge to grumble over the issue before moving to the entry way to accept the giant basket, Ash started to head for the kitchen to lay out the spread.

Delia though caught up with her son before he got too far into unpacking the boxed dinner from Pallet House. "Don't worry about setting up the table dear, why don't you get out of your suit before dinner and change into something more comfortable."

"Alright…well if you are sure mom I know you had a long day…" Ash waited tentatively at entry way to the hallway to make sure he got the go ahead. Despite the fact his mother's cancer was in remission he still treated her like she was made of glass. It was the one area he and Mimey agreed on.

Making a shooing motion to her son, Delia made sure to shoot a reassuring smile to her son. Once Ash disappeared up the stairs, Delia went about setting up the table for dinner with Mimey's help. "My Ash is so thoughtful isn't he Mimey?"

Mr. Mime for his part seemed less than thrilled to agree with Delia on anything concerning Ash and the word thoughtful, helpful, or caring in it. "Mime." Voicing his displeasure over the issue, Mr. Mime went back to helping Delia set the table.

The pair just finished when Ash skidded into the kitchen now dressed in a simple pair of jeans, trainers, and a black tee. The customary hat he used to wear was no longer a part of his casual ensemble and instead he had taken to wearing a black bandana to keep his hair tamed. It was just something he had started doing to keep a connection with May. Over the years he had attempted to get in touch with her but as she was a TV personality her number was not public information. Even before that she just never accepted his calls or sent him straight to videomail and never returned anything.

After the three had sat down for dinner, Delia decided to ask a question she had been wondering about since running into Gary earlier tonight on the way home. "So sweetie, I ran into Gary this evening."

"Oh yeah? Was he grabbing dinner for Professor Oak at Pallet House again?" Ash attempted to steer the conversation away from any potential mention of the upcoming tournament.

"Actually I ran into him on the way home. He mentioned you were planning on taking some time off together. Is that true?" Delia could tell her son was nervous about something. In the last five years the poor boy had only taken a short vacation during Christmas and her birthday. He rarely even saw his friends anymore and she was starting to worry about him becoming a shut in.

Groaning internally, Ash set his fork down before mumbling a response that sounded vaguely like a threat on Gary Oak's life.

"Speak up dear." Delia commented absently as she added another helping of potatoes to her plate.

'Damn Gary Oak why does he have to make my life miserable at every turn.' Ash internally bemoaned the situation that Gary had left him in. Originally he was just going to inform his mother last minute as he always did before taking off on a trip. Now though Gary had unknowingly…or more likely knowingly boxed Ash into a corner. If there was one word to describe Delia it was persistent.

"Well er yeah…Gary…kindly…well ya know." In fact Ash really was trying to his best not to bring up the tournament just yet. He wanted to have this discussion after dinner when his attention was not split between food and conversation. Ash had a hard enough time of it during business meetings.

Clapping her hands together in delight Delia pushed on with her line of questioning. "Sounds exciting dear, I guess I should have figured it out by now but don't judge your mother too harshly. A couple's vacation together will be just the thing to recharge your batteries."

'Couples vacation what in the world is she talking about.' Deciding to just let it be, Ash continued to hoover down dinner and nodded along at all the right places.

"Of course I always thought you would end up with one of the girls that you traveled with. Especially that May girl." Delia laughed a little wondering how she had missed it all these years. "I just thought you were a little dense when it came to girls like your father had been." Sharing a secretive smile with her son who at this point was staring at his mother in mild curiosity over where the conversation was going, Delia continued on her train of thought. "I had to tell your father right to his face that I liked him. The big good asked me what I meant by that and I had to kiss him just to show him what I meant. I was worried you were going to turn out the same way."

"You never told me that one Mom." Ash commented absently as he tried to figure out what the hell his mother was on about.

Smiling at her son, Delia nodded happily. "You know your father would be proud of you, whoever you end up dating and marrying no matter what right?"

Ash tentatively nodded and almost wished that he had Pikachu with him. Usually the little electric rodent seemed to pick up on things faster than he tended to. "Of course mom, I know you both love me and I love you as well."

"I know dear and you know even though I always dreamed of having grandchildren…well adoption is just as good. I know Gary will make a great father. He really has grown up over the years and I know you will to."

"Thanks Mom…umm why do you care about Gary being a father?" Ash was really drawing a blank here. He knew that his mother wanted grandchildren. In fact she was constantly on him to settle down and find a girl. Even worse she almost constantly asked after May who she believed was a perfect match. Little did his mom know that they had tried it out and had been dating up until he just up and left her without a word when he received the news that his mother was ill. When he attempted to call her and explain she never picked up. In fact according to Max anytime he attempted to bring up anything to do with Ash, May would just terminate the call. It was as if Ash was dead to her.

Sometimes she did wonder about her child. He was a genius in so many areas but when it came to social situations he fell flat on his face if it was anything other than pokemon or business. It was a wonder how Ash had managed to make his feelings known to Gary. "Honey...if you and Gary decide to adopt it will be a big step in your relationship. A child is a lot of work and both parents have to be all in if you want to give the child a real chance at succeeding in line."

"Mom…that is great…but why would Gary and I adopt a child together?"

Sighing a bit in disappointment over her son's answer, Delia noted her son appeared to be confused. Perhaps Gary and Ash had not gotten to that point. No need to push the two…well not too much. "Well I am not getting any younger sweetie and your mother would love to be a grandmother. Still when you and Gary settle down together it would be nice for you two to give Professor Oak and your mother some great grandchildren and grandchildren. I am sure Professor Oak would appreciate it."

Finally…finally the whole revolving point around his mother's conversation clicked in Ash's brain. His face said it all. The food he had been eating just dropped out of his mouth and he started to choke on the hunk of bread he had just stuffed down his throat.

"I am not dating Gary mom! I like girls!" Crossing his arms in a petulant manner, Ash felt himself sink into his seat acting more like a 5 year old child than the twenty some year old he was.

Delia laughed aloud at her mistake. "Sorry sweetie…it's just that you never bring any girls home and you never seem to speak with that nice May girl you traveled with in Hoenn or Dawn from Sinnoh. Unless you are dating Iris or Misty?" Delia asked hopefully. It wasn't that she did not like the two girls from Kanto and Unova respectively but she would prefer someone a little less violent for her boy.

"I am not dating anyone and I am certainly not dating Gary." Ash attempted to remain angry at his mother but really he knew it would only last another minute or two at most.

"Well dear where are you and Gary going then? I'm assuming not a couple's resort?" Sending a conspiratorial wink to her son over her little faux pas, Delia started to clean up the remaining food left on the table.

Once again turning a bright red, Ash grumbled a little. "No! Erg…well I um…Gary kinda signed us all up for a new tournament in Kanto. It starts in a few months so I guess I need to start training…but I won't be leaving Pallet other than for business trips! I swear!"

When Ash finally told her about the tournament, she had expected to see a glint of excitement enter Ash's eyes. Instead there was just a dull resignation over the whole thing. A frown marred Ms. Ketchum's normally pretty face. "You don't seem too excited about it dear…I remember when the prospect of a new journey or a tournament had you so hyper you would be out the door the moment you heard about it."

"Honestly mom I am fine. I just don't want to leave you alone here in Pallet Town again while I go gallivanting around the country. I left training because I could see it was killing you and I had to grow up. The whole dream of becoming a pokemon master was kinda silly anyway." Ash continued on not taking note of his mother's rising temper. In fact Delia rarely got angry but her son's cavalier attitude about giving up on his dream was pushing her to the edge. "I mean it is a great dream for a kid but all I was doing was causing you to be lonely while I was away. Now that I am older I have grown up and I realized it is something for kids to do but you have to grow up sometime and face facts."

"ENOUGH!" Delia slammed her hands down on the kitchen counter with such force that it shook the floor. Turning away from her task of putting away the left overs she turned to face her son. "That is enough! What happened to my little Ashy…when did you…become…become...so old and boring!"

"Mom!" Ash attempted to protest. "I grew up!"

"You listen here young man! I love you and appreciate that you came back when I got sick…and everything you have done but don't you dare for a second try and pretend you are happy!" Delia pointed her finger at Ash. "Everything you have built has been an attempt to keep me happy without once thinking about your life and your happiness!"

At this point Ash knew his mother was beyond reason. In fact he had never seen his mother so angry. Adopting a calm face, Ash decided to approach this like a business meeting…bad call. "Mom I didn't give up my pokemon career because of you. I realized I could not travel forever and I know it was hurting you. I made the choice to come back and I made the choice to take over Pallet House!"

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare take that business tone Mr. Know it all tone with your mother Mister!" At this point Delia was advancing on her son in a rapid manner. "I let it be when you came home when I was sick and I admit I have been complacent in letting you live this lie for the past four years." At this point Delia was poking her pointer finger into her son's chest. "Well no longer will I stand by and let my son live in a delusional world where he has to ignore his pokemon to pretend he is happy with his life! When was the last time you truly smiled Hm? When was the last time you saw Pikachu, Ash?

Backing up under his mother's verbal barrage, Ash started to back away a little. Most people would be cowed under his mother's rage but instead it had activated something that he had thought he locked away. Ash's anger started to surface and he was pissed that his mother was trying to tell him what he wanted in life. "I don't want to be a pokemon master any more Mother! I am happy! I am happy in Pallet Town and I am happy staying here with you. I don't want to travel any more! I am tired of battling and I am tired of pokemon alright! I have a business to run and I do not have time to go play in a tournament I have no interest in!"

If Ash was going to proceed any further with his words, he did not have a chance. Delia did something that she had never done in her entire life up until this point. Her hand almost guided as if by some unseen force came up and across her son's face. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Delia completely broke down.

The proud mother crumbled before her son and if Ash had not been paying attention, Delia would have fallen to the floor. "Mom…I"

Crying in her son's shoulder, Delia managed to make a muffled apology into Ash's shirt. "I'm sorry sweetie…I just can't take it anymore. There is no more spark in your eyes anymore. Even though you are here with me physically you seem more distant than ever. Nothing excites you anymore and it is hard to tell if you even care about anything other than the next expansion."

Ash held his mother awkwardly not quite sure what to say. Instead he just gently patted his mother on the back and held her in a tight embrace. "Mom I'm happy…I really am I promise."

"Swear to me then Ash…you swear to me on my life that you are happy and you haven't been deluding yourself for the past five years and putting my happiness before yours and I will drop everything right now." Delia's voice was almost a whisper. Truthfully she was afraid that Ash was truly happy and if he did swear upon it, she knew she would break down completely because her little boy would truly be all grown up. If he truly no longer wanted to become a pokemon master it really meant he had changed.

"Mom…" Trailing off Ash was not sure what to say. It wasn't that he was unhappy or anything…in fact he loved being back with his mom and seeing Gary as well, well sometimes reluctantly. During his travels he had really missed Pallet Town so it was nice to be home. "I…well…I am happy…I mean I love you and seeing you every day."

Smiling a little into Ash's shoulder she was elated at Ash's answer. Even when he wanted to say he wasn't happy, he would find a way to make sure no one's feelings were hurt. Well at least when it came to her. Drawing herself back from her son she kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you for being honest sweetie."

"Uhm…but…I really."

"You're fired honey…I want you to see you happy again and you won't find that happiness here in Pallet Town. Now go over to see Gary, go apologize profusely to your pokemon and go back to being my little boy who's only goal it to become a pokemon master." Delia stood up again and composed herself while her son just sat there completely shell shocked.

"But Mom! What about the expansion! And how can you fire me?" Ash mumbled as he tried to find a coherent thought to grab onto.

Smirking a little at her son, Delia decided to let her son in on her little secret. "I'm still the owner sweetie and technically even though you are CEO I do have majority shares of the stocks. Remember when you went public? Well I made sure to buy 51% of all available stock. Now as your majority stockholder I find myself dissatisfied with your performance and relieve you of your duties."

Patting her stunned son on the shoulder, Delia made her way back to the kitchen counter and continued to pack the left overs. Without turning around, Delia made one final comment. "Get moving young man…and if I don't see you in the finals I will ground you. Don't think I won't do it Mister because I will come find you and drag you back to Pallet Town."

"Yes'um…" Ash numbly stood up and stumbled towards the stairs to pack up for his journey to the Tournament. Honestly he didn't even know where the tournament was taking place but he rather leave now than risk being berated by his mother for failure to follow her orders.

A/N: Alright next chapter will be training and journeying to the Tournament location. I will probably bring in Brock and Misty next chapter along with Gary for the training. Once we get to the tournament we will finally start some Ash/May interactions. Hope you like please read and review. Thank you for the reviews so far and I hope this answers how I am going to get Ash excited and involved in training again!


	3. I think I can figure it out

A/N: Finally an update. I spent a lot of time on my other story and hadn't really had any motivation to write this story. I will admit it will mainly by a fluffish piece…well compared to my other story anyway. So I kinda write it when I need a break from the emotional rollercoaster of my other story. Reviews of course can motivate me…just saying. Anyway I needed a break from the grueling job hunt I am currently taking due to unemployment since I relocated to a new state. Oh yeah and since I have mentioned this in absolutely none of my stories recently. I literally own nothing of pokemon and this is not for profit but if only!

Chapter 3 – I think I can figure it out but I just need a little help to get there

Professor Oak's Ranch -

Gary was laughing so hard that he was doubled over and holding onto his sides. "So…so…so….ahahahaha." Another round of laughter left Gary as he attempted to regain his composure only to end up letting out peals of laughter again.

"It really isn't that funny Gary." Ash muttered petulantly. "I don't see how you can find this so funny."

"But you…and me!" Gary just managed to point at Ash before doubling over again hit by another round of laughter. "Just…just…haha."

A slight frown crossed over Ash's face. He thought that Gary would commiserate with him or if nothing else at least be sympathetic to his plight. Instead he was as usual subjected to ridicule. "You know I came over here because you wanted to meet with me. If you are just going to laugh about my mother's assumption that we are together, I'll just take my pokemon and leave."

Waving at Ash with his one hand, Gary managed to support himself by putting his other hand on his left knee to keep himself upright. Gary managed to pull himself together for the moment. "Come on now Ashy boy, you gotta admit it is hilarious. I mean you and me together? If I were gay I could get a much better gay guy then you!" With that Gary ended up losing himself to laughter again.

"Gee, thanks a lot." Ash muttered not completely sure if he should be thankful or offended over Gary's statement. "If you are quite done?"

"Geez…take the stick out…Mew almighty you are seriously no fun." Gary managed to look mildly offended despite the shit eating grin still on his face. "You know you're fired right you can drop the diplomatic act."

Sighing in annoyance, Ash swore he was talking to a small child sometimes. "Gary, it is called a professional demeanor."

Waving off his friend, Gary just rolled his eyes at Ash's uptight attitude. "Yeah well you better lose it. You think the fans are going to get behind mister super serious business man or the Ash Ketchum they remember?"

"Seems to work just fine for Steven." A slight smirk crossed Ash's face. He knew without a doubt that his shot would send Gary off on a tangent.

"Yeah well A. He is a Champion and B. You don't have the certain cool factor to pull it off." Gary smirked and started towards the back to the lab.

"What do you mean cool! I'm cool!" Ash growled out before following after Gary.

Gary just chuckled. "Yeah nothing says cool like, "Hey girls I'm in the restaurant business." Please Ash, Steven has the whole reclusive billionaire thing going for him and his company is all about technology. Technology is hot, food not so much."

"Your confidence and support are much appreciated." Sarcasm lacing Ash's response, the young once CEO of Pallet House just kept from rolling his eyes.

"I know, I know. You deserve so much less from me Ashy boy, but someone has to keep you in line." Gary laughed aloud.

"What do you mean by that?" Ash muttered as he kept pace with the trainer turned gym leader turned researcher.

"Oh I don't know, Mister "I can't take your call right now Max I've got this contract" or "Oh sorry Brock I know we were going to meet up but I have this last minute meeting with the mayor of Pewter City." Of course my favorite is always. "Hey Dawn! Why yes I would love to catch up but I gotta catch a flight right now to Cinnabar, I swear I'll call back!" Gary's tone took on a slightly hard edge. "You know Ash, all those allowances you made for your job kinda alienated your friends. They stopped calling because you were always too damn busy for them. From what I hear no one even bothers anymore. They've just come to accept that they will see you on Christmas if you aren't too busy and gave up trying to do anything with you. Don't you find it strange I'm the ONLY PERSON YOU TALK TO OTHER THAN GRAMPS OR YOUR MOM!?"

Ash was slightly taken aback by Gary's diatribe that ended in him yelling. "Well…I guess I just didn't realize how…umm..well…" Now that he thought about it after Pallet House really took off, Ash really had not seen or heard from anyone. In fact the last person to call him had been Dawn and she seemed kinda down about something. As usual though he hadn't had time to get involved with whatever new crisis the girl had, had and threw out some excuse. "I guess you're right…but why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Gary threw his arms up in the air while a laugh came unbidden from his throat. "Are you kidding me!? What do you think I was trying to do by getting your ass out of the office? Jimmy god damn cricket, Ashy boy, you are unbelievably self-centered sometimes."

"Hey! I am not self-centered! I was just helping my mom out!" Ash defended himself.

"Oh please, you just do whatever you want without ever thinking of anyone else. You were just the same when it came to pokemon but at least you had a damn passion for that…or at least you used to." Sighing in annoyance, Gary put his arms behind his head. "Your self-centered nature about pokemon could be forgiven since you were always willing to be there for others. Once you "grew up" and gave up on your dreams you became a real dick. Maybe this wasn't a good idea."

Ash once more was a little shocked by Gary's words. Was it possible that he had been as bad as Gary said he was? He never really meant to hurt anyone's feelings he just figured everyone understood he was busy taking care of things in Pallet Town. "Am I really that terrible? Did I really drive them all away?"

A quick glare from Gary seemed to confirm it, if that didn't do it, Gary's words did next.

"Really Ash? Were you that absorbed in that little phone of yours the past three Christmas's at Dawn's? Anyone that tried to talk to you got waved off or shot down. Yeah you were there physically but you were still in Pallet Town as far as we were concerned." Huffing in annoyance at his friend, Gary let his friend further into the fields of Oak Ranch. "To be honest I'm glad your mom fired you."

"Yeah…" Ash trailed off lost in his thoughts. He was trying to remember the last conversation he had with anyone other than Gary. Sadly other than the occasional chat with Professor Oak or the normal banter with his mother he really was drawing a blank. The worst part was that Ash could remember each time he blew off one of his friends. Everyone had suffered because his propensity to become absorbed in his work. He had put everything into the company and unfortunately everything else had suffered.

"We're here." Gary called out to Ash. It had been some time and the two had fell into an uncomfortable silence in the meantime. This mainly consisted of Gary ruminating over being pissed off over Ash and Ash examining the past five or so years. So Ash was surprised by Gary suddenly speaking up.

"Huh?" Ash muttered unintelligibly.

"I said we're here." Gary paused before turning back to Ash. "Look, Ash, I know I kinda forced your hand on this but seriously your pokemon are kinda hyped about this. If you're not committed we gotta stop right now because it will break their spirit to see you half assing this."

"No…" Ash shook his head a little before a smile crossed his face. "I mean no, I'm good, let's do this. I guess I got some ungrowing up to do if I want to be a true pokemon master."

A smirk crossed Gary's face. "Now that's more like it. I don't expect a night and day change up but you better start getting excited because I did you the honor of putting together three teams for you."

"Why three?" Ash queried.

"Simple, Ashy boy." Gary raised his finger. "Your problem in every tournament is that you stick with the pokemon on you. Every now and again you'll change out one or two but mainly you stick with the pokemon you caught in that region. That is all well and good but using a three team system you mix up the pokemon from all the regions and some trainers may be thrown off by a pokemon they've never seen so they don't know how to react. Needless to say they freeze in a moment of indecision and you strike."

"Huh…why hadn't I ever thought of that?" Ash truly did wonder why he never tried a strategy like that. He couldn't lie, Gary actually had a pretty damn good idea there.

Laughing aloud, Gary pulled out six pokeballs from his pocket. "Cause I'm a mother fucking genius."

Throwing forth the pokeballs for team one, Gary cried out. "Alright Ash, meet Team 1!"

A moment later six pokemon took form consisting of Snorlax, Infernape, Sceptile, Heracross, Squirtle, and Donphan.

The pokemon were released with cries of their names. A moment later though they were happily crowded around their trainer, each vying for attention.

"Haha wow guys…look I'm sorry I've been gone. Once the others are out I will explain what is going on!" Ash laughed aloud once more.

With a nod Gary withdrew six more pokeballs. "Now for Team 2!"

Once released pokemon took the forms of Torterra, Oshawott, Pidgeot, Quilava, Glalie, and Gible.

And once more Ash was greeted and requested for the remaining pokemon to be released before explaining everything.

A slight smirk crossed Gary's face at this point. "Okay Ash and here is Team 3 some of your heavy hitters…and a certain pokemon that really…really hates being in a pokeball."

Ash's eyes widened suddenly. That sinking feeling was coming back full force.

"Oh yeah, glad you remember dumbass. This is going to be great." With a laugh Gary tossed the remaining six pokeballs he had in his pocket up into the air. "Come'on out team 3!"

A moment later six more forms materialized. First came Bulbasaur, then Totodile, followed by Staraptor, with Primeape right behind, Charizard with a roar, and finally Pikachu.

Ash started to back away immediately but unfortunately the movement just caught Charizard and Pikachu's attention. The two pokemon as if by unspoken agreement roared or cried in anger.

"PIKA PIKA CHU!"

Charizard's deafening roar followed before Ash was hit by a mix of lighting and fire from the two very pissed off pokemon. Charizard mostly on principle alone and Pikachu well he was pissed about being in the pokeball for the past few years.

The trainer fell over in a puff of smoke. "I deserved that." Ash managed to get out.

Laughing aloud once more over his friend's predicament, Gary shook his head in mock disappointment. "Remember actions have consequences. Isn't that what you told me when I invited you drinking that one night and you turned me down because you had and I quote "A real job with responsibilities that expects me to be on time." Ha!"

Ash managed to throw a glare at Gary before slowly sitting up and looked imploringly towards Pikachu. By far Pikachu was the one he had to win over. Charizard would happily comply with Ash's orders once he was informed of a new challenge. "Hey buddy…I know it's been a while. I'm really sorry I put you back in the ball…"

Pikachu for his part chittered away angrily before throwing what was easily discerned as the middle finger or Pikachu's best equivalent.

Rubbing the back of his head, Ash decided it was time for full on begging. "I'm sorry Pikachu I really am! You can hit me with as many thunderbolts as you like and I swear on my life I will never put you back in the ball. On my honor I am fully devoted to you guys and if I lie you can give me a full on thunder!"

Pikachu huffed in disbelief before turning his head away from his trainer. A clear signal that he was no longer interested in the words of his trainer, Pikachu closed his eyes.

"Come'on buddy! Look I'm a worm under your feet, please, please, please I'm sorry It has been so long. I swear we're in it together and forever I promise. We even got a new tournament that we're entered in. In fact that is why we're all here. We're gonna train and we're gonna win it. I swear I'm going to be a pokemon master but I need my entire team to do it!" Ash in an attempt to appease his little electric friend, threw himself onto the ground like a worm and started to crawl towards Pikachu.

"Now this is just sad." Gary muttered to himself. Charizard must have heard him because the giant fire dragon snorted flames out his nose in agreement.

"Please! Pikachu I swear all the ketchup in the house! No I'll do you better in the supermarket it yours. Come on buddy think about the offer. I will go right after our training session and buy every bottle in the store for you!" Ash was still worm crawling…or something towards the yellow rodent.

For his part Pikachu opened one eye and finally glanced at his trainer without fully turning his head. The little electric type seemed to be considering the proposal.

Ash knew he had the little guy the moment he opened one of his eyes. 'Now for the final nail.' Considering for a moment how manipulative he was, Ash shrugged it off. It was for the good of the team even if it was a low and dirty trick. "Come'on Pikachu…you know May will be at the tournament. If you go you can see her." Ash cringed a little at his half-truth. What he hadn't mentioned was that although Pikachu could seek May out, he on the other hand had no intentions of seeing her unless or until Dawn made him.

Gary's eyes lit up a little at the statement. A small smirk crossed his face. Excellent a way to get the two together this was exactly what the researcher had been hoping would happen. Gary had been counting on Pikachu's legendary stubborn streak and ability to hold a grudge to force Ash's hand and bring up May. "Great Ash! I'm sure Pikachu will be a welcome addition to the cast on Battler's Review. Not to mention I'm sure they'll eat up Pikachu in the ratings. He has a great personality…for a rodent."

Pikachu had started to look proudly at Gary and his trainer before a frown crossed his face at the last statement by Gary. The small electric type gave Gary a warning look while letting his electricity spark a little.

Gary held up his hands in a disarming manner. "Hey come on now I'm not the enemy I got you back to battling and you get to see May even earlier than you would have thought thanks to me! So really you should be thanking me!"

Growling a little, Ash leveled a glare at his best friend. "Really Gary, you are just too kind, please stop helping I don't want to go onto a talk show."

"Too late Ashy Boy! I already cleared it like I told you. You are going on Battler's Review a week before the tournament begins and part of the conditions for the interview was that you had to have Pikachu with you." Gary retorted. "Luckily Pikachu seems to be onboard since May is involved. How convenient!"

"You never told me! I found out because they brought it up on the show!" Ash was fuming at this point. "Hey wait a second! Are you saying you were the one to arrange it! BASTARD!"

"Now now…just because I didn't tell you personally isn't my fault. Barry told you and that is as good as me telling you!" Gary laughed at his comment before noticing Ash's blank stare at Barry's name. "Oh you are shitting me! Do not tell me you forgot who Barry is!"

Ash just stared blankly back at Gary. He tried to remember but he honestly couldn't place the guy. Sure the name sounded familiar but there were a ton of Barry's in the world. "Uh…nope not ringing a bell."

"Your rival in Sinnoh…" Gary ventured while placing his head in his right hand. "Come on I know you have nothing going on up there but seriously I talked to this kid for a good hour and all he could do was go on about you!"

"Uh….I remember Paul…and Dawn…" Ash ventured with a hopeful look that he was correct.

"Are you shitting me right now! You were in Sinnoh for a year and a half!" Gary threw his hands into the air. "How do you forget someone you knew for a year and a half! Would you have forgotten me if I wasn't constantly bothering you and you grew up with me?"

"Uh…" Ash responded with a shrug. "I guess I kinda forgot…you know I was only like fourteen when I was in Sinnoh. That was almost seven years ago."

"Unbelievable." Gary just pressed his head further into his hand. "You are just unbelievable."

"So…" Ash ventured. Pikachu had apparently forgiven Ash or was planning to exact his revenge later because the small rodent had finally made his way back to Ash's shoulder.

Sighing in defeat, Gary attempted to wave the oncoming headache away. "You are utterly hopeless. But I guess it is up to me to get you back to training shape. So let's see how much damage has been done by your time away. Pick a pokemon and let's have a practice battle."

"Alright! How about you Totodile you up for a little practice!" Ash called out.

"To To Dile!" The little pokemon waved it's hands in the air before jumping in front of Ash a large smile on it's face.

"Right…right well I'll even be nice and give you the type advantage. Let's go Arcanine!" With a casual toss of his pokeball, the giant lion dog pokemon appeared with a howl.

"Alright Totodile! Water gun!" Ash directed his pokemon.

"To!" With a quick inhale the big jaw pokemon let loose a blast of pressurized water.

"Dodge it." Gary called out. "Follow up wild charge!"

With casual elegance Arcanine jumped out of the way of the wall of water before he charged the smaller pokemon. Electricity started to dance across Arcanine's mane and before Ash could call out a counter the large lion dog crashed into the big jaw pokemon.

"To!" Totodile was flung away and ended up lying face down in the dirt some distance away.

"Totodile!" Ash cried out.

"Wow Ash…wow we really…" Before Gary could finish his sentence though, Totodile popped back up looking for the most part no worse for the wear.

"To!" The small croc pokemon seemed to finally be in the game now. After the wake up call the small water type was ready to go.

"Alright Totodile! Let's try a surf attack!" With a grin Ash could already see Gary's look of oh shit.

"Underground Arcanine!" With just enough time to spare Arcanine managed to get underground to avoid the worst of the wall of water.

"Crap!" Ash growled before looking over to see Gary's smirk. The pokemon research mockingly pointed towards the ground as if to help Ash to find his pokemon.

This unfortunately for Gary gave Ash an idea. "Keep your head pointed towards the ground Totodile!" Ash called out.

Cocking his head, Gary wondered what the hell he was up to. "Arcanine stay sharp but come up with a thunder fan lets finish it here and now!"

The ground beneath Totodile started to erupt.

"Now Totodile! Hydro pump! Right into the ground!" Ash called out.

Gary's face went white. Right as Arcanine exited the ground with a glowing thunder fang he was met by a stream of pressurized water. Totodile being light as he was, was blasted sky high and out of the range of the Thunder fang attack.

A moment later Totodile landed on the ground already dancing. Arcanine though was half out of the hole with swirls in his eyes.

"Come on ya big mutt get back here good job but so much for the regal lion dog." Gary muttered before recalling his pokemon.

"That was a great battle Gary!" Ash called out before running over to hug Totodile. "Good work buddy you showed him!"

"To! Dile!" The big jaw cried out happily.

"Well glad to see your unique style is still alive but we have some work to do yet. You froze there with that wild charge. If Totodile hadn't been able to hang tough you would have been out right off the bat." Gary commented. "The trainers are gonna be way tougher at the tournament."

With that the two started going over strategies and discussing further ways to use the team based approach that Gary had developed to really press Ash's advantage.

A/N: Hey guys hope this answers some questions.

Bronski: Hope this answers why Ash is only really in contact with Gary.

LittleMissMidnight: Thanks for the tip on chapter 2! I always appreciate the grammar assistance believe me! Glad you enjoyed the little phrase from chapter one about Ash going to kill Gary at his house as well. Hopefully I can throw in more random gems like that one.

LOL61: Hope that will give you a taste of the old gang. Mostly Pikachu thunderbolting Ash with Charizard burninating him for good measure.

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed! I am kinda honored that this story got as much interest as it did. Next chapter will be mainly May. We will also be time skipping to the start of the tournament. I want to start introducing the other characters and get the old gang back together. I am planning on this story being fairly short only around 100,000 words or so. Then again if you read The Burning Nightmare when it comes to my plans they are all lies and I am not to be trusted.


	4. Time Lines

A/N: Normally I try to bounce between Burning Nightmare and A Really Nice Shot but eh basically I don't wanna write the complex chapter that is coming up for the Burning Nightmare. Sooooo you guys get another chapter because I am procrastinating writing the next chapter. Of course it makes complete sense I am procrastinating on writing something I use as a stress reliever…sure. Anyway we stop in with May next and we will see why she hasn't been in contact for the last few years.

Chapter 4: Timelines

Indigo Plateau – Back stage

"May we're on in ten!" Barry opened her door without knocking and yelled in.

"BARRY!" May practically screeched half indignation and half surprise. "How many times do I have to tell you! Do not open my door! I could have been mid change!"

"Hehe…yeah." A slightly lecherous grin came across his face at the thought.

Grabbing the nearest thing, May hurled what happened to be a cup at Barry. "Pervert!"

"Geez, May!" Barry managed to duck out of the way as the ceramic cup sailed over him and smashed into the wall behind him.

May's face brightened a little when she heard the exclamations of surprise from other co-workers outside. She had not really meant to draw a crowd. Turning on Barry she let out a growl. "Thanks a lot Barry!"

"What'd I do?" Barry muttered as he stood back up and dusted himself off. "You're acting like a diva."

"Exactly asshole!" May growled before slamming down a bottle of water to get her through until the first commercial break. "If you didn't go around opening doors without knocking I wouldn't look like a diva."

"Look?…Check the mirror sweetie." Barry grumbled to himself.

"What was that Barry?" May leveled a glare at her co-host.

Throwing on a charming smile, Barry just shook his head. "Nothing, Mom."

Rolling her eyes, May just went back to giving herself some last minute prep work not that her makeup team hadn't done an amazing job but she always liked to touch up. "Only my daughter can call me that Barry. Last time I checked you were a twenty two year old man child."

"Hey Hey Hey! Now that is low!" Barry pointed towards May with a slight frown on his face. "It isn't like you are any older than me!"

"Yes but girls mature faster than boys." May smirked. "While you treat this as a vacation from your duties as a Frontier Brain for me this is a serious career."

Rolling his eyes, Barry tapped his foot impatiently. "Whatever just because I want to explore my options doesn't make me a man child. Anyway we gotta be on in." Checking his watch, Barry's eyes bugged out. "Mew almighty two minutes!"

"The set is literally right there." May responded but decided to play along with Barry's OCD and followed him out since he seemed to be close to a panic attack.

"You would jeopardize the poor women of Kanto missing my beautiful face for even a minute of screen time that we'd miss due to your inability to stay on a schedule?" Barry pulled a rather pathetic looking puppy dog face.

May casually pushed him away and continued walking down the hall. "Doesn't work for Samantha and it certainly won't work for you, pretty boy."

"You think I'm a pretty boy?" Barry's eyes lit up with interest.

"I'll admit you have certain qualities that may attract a member of the opposite sex." May slide into her chair with a very pleased Barry sitting down next to her and May decided to drop the hammer. "If we're talking about the sixteen year old girls you seem to attract like flies to a rotting corpse."

"We're live!" One of the crew members called out.

The camera's lit up just in time to catch Barry's distraught face and May smiling.

"Welcome to Battler's Review." May announced. "I'm here with my co-host Barry who has just learned some troubling news. Turns out that yes the plastic surgery he recently underwent was a bust and he still looks like a prepubescent boy."

"Har har har May!" Barry whined to the amusement of the audience. The two had a certain on screen chemistry that mostly came from their off screen relationship as friends. Both tended to make ribbing comments that their target audience loved. "Well I want to welcome our audience to the first live broadcast of Battler's Review from Kanto Region!"

A large cheer went up from the select crowd that managed to get seats to the show.

Throwing a smile on, Barry once more slid into his normal confident persona on camera. "Due to the volume of interest that the Light of the Stars Tournament has received from both coordinators and trainers as you know we had a last minute location switch. Thanks to Mr. Goodshow the event is now being hosted on the Indigo League grounds!"

"That's right!" May took over for Barry as the two constantly switched off between talking unless of course they were bickering which the normally were if they weren't updating the audience with the news. "We'll have Mr. Goodshow on our program but first we're going to go over some of the top trainers and coordinators taking part in this prestigious event. "

Barry's tone turned solemn and slightly serious. "Fans in less than three weeks we are going to have one of the greatest tournaments of our generation taking place here." With that Barry let his tone brighten considerably. "And who else would you trust to bring you the latest information and exclusive interviews with some of the top trainers and coordinators but Battler's Review!"

"Let's do the break down Barry! We are going to discuss who we think is going to end up top of the top in this event." May cut in. Barry had as usual done an amazing job of building up the audience's excitement. Despite May's general misgivings about his off screen personality she had to admit that he had an amazing ability to capture a room's attention with the pitch and tone of his voice alone.

"Time to talk trainers! I hear Tobias just recently registered and with that team of legendries by his side I don't think anyone else has a chance." Barry started out. "No doubts about it he is my number one!"

Shaking her head, May held up her hand and shook her hand back and forth. "No way! He is all steamroll and no strategy my friend. In fact my top placement goes to Paul from Sinnoh. If you remember last league match it was actually Paul that beat Tobias down with superior tactics. He made those legendries look like level 2 Pidgey's. Not only did Paul use his superior tactics but he made it through only losing half his team!"

"True, May! I would love to make Paul my number one pal!" Barry smirked at his corny joke while the audience and May just groaned. "But if you are talking strategy there is no one in the trainer world that can compete with Ash Ketchum! That's right he may be coming off an extended hiatus but my sources say that he has been training hard with Gary Oak. That is why I have to give Ash my second slot with Paul right behind. If you think it is all going to come down to strategy let's be honest Paul took a lot of his direction from Ash Ketchum's less than conventional tactics so you should put Ash at the top in your line up."

Groaning, May was sorry she brought up strategy, she knew that Barry would bring him up somehow. She had just been hoping they could have avoided the topic of Ash a little longer. "In your dreams Barry! There is no way he can just walk back and take center stage without so much as a how do you do. I don't care who he's been training with I don't think he'll place higher than the top twenty. I'm sorry it would take miracle!"

A slight grin passed across Barry's face. "Did you just say miracle, May? Because that is really unfortunate. You as well as I know that Ash has been known to do the impossible and luckily for you we will be having Ash on the show next week so you can tell him how you really feel!"

A blush crossed May's face as her face reddened a little. "Wait What?! You said that wasn't confirmed yet!"

Waving his finger and enjoying the discomfort he had put his co-host in, Barry imparted his information. "That's right fans! Right before we went on air I just got confirmation from Ketchum's camp that he will be on with Pikachu next Monday!"

Groaning, May melodramatically threw her hand over her face. "Please tell me we are going to have all the electrical equipment grounded."

Laughing, Barry gave May a thumbs up. "Not to worry darling we got it all covered. Pikachu's "shocking" personality is well known even to the entertainment community!"

"Oh Mew please stop Barry you are about to drive off what little audience we have." May threw her hands in the air causing most of the audience to laugh. "Can we get back on topic…"

/\ /\

( 0 0 )

"I still can't believe you would go behind my back and get Ash Ketchum on the show." May seethed as she walked down the hallway towards her dressing room. While she walked she started to take off her earrings. "Seriously Barry you know our history."

"Oh please you play the victim card every time his name comes up but does he even know?" Rolling his eyes, Barry strolled down at a slightly more sedate pace and ended up trailing May by a foot or two. He could bring up the point that this had been mentioned on air a few months ago but he figured it was pointless. May tended to have selective hearing regarding issues she wanted to avoid. "Anyway you know I am just looking out for the ratings and our viewership has popped up ten percent since we mentioned Ketchum coming on and I expect it to go up further now that we have a confirmed date."

"Not the point Barry!" May pocketed her earrings before stopping at her door. "How could he not know anyway."

"Yeah no you're right how could the guy that is so dense a freight train could hit him and he would walk away wondering why everything hurt ever not know about something. I mean I'm sure you contacted him immediately and told him in a direct and straight forward manner." Barry smirked a little when May just huffed in response. "Right anyway I got a date tonight so I gotta get out of here."

May pulled a disgusted face at Barry's comment. "Seriously we haven't even been here a solid two days and you already are going out with a girl?"

Chuckling a little, Barry leaned against the wall opposite of May's door. "Sure thing beautiful, I am despite your objections to the contrary a very desirable man."

"As usual Barry I find myself wondering about the quality of women you manage to find. Anyway I gotta get going and pick up Sam." With a final wave May disappeared into her changing room leaving Barry in the hall.

"Well I think things around here are about to get a little more interesting." Barry chuckled to himself before making his way towards his own changing room to get out of his suit.

/\ /\

( 0 0 )

Indigo League – Registration Area

"I hate you."

"I know." Gary grinned while walking towards the registration desk.

"I hate you so much right now." Ash grumbled as he was more or less dragged along towards the registration desk. Pikachu riding on Ash's shoulder with a smile on his face seemed to be taking great pleasure in his trainer's discomfort judging by his laughter. "Pi Pi Pi ka chu."

"I know." Gary continued to push through trainers and spectators alike seeking a registration desk.

"I am going to go to your home murder your family and dance naked in their blood." Ash responded sullenly.

"I don't have a family other than Gramps but hey whatever gets you off." Gary responded with a slight smirk.

Ash pulled a distasteful face. "Fine I will put in the time and wait until you have a family. I am going to stay at this level of anger until you produce the necessary two point five kids for the slaughter."

"You're so dark." Gary retorted. "You know I only want one. I can't split my awesome teachings amongst that many children. Especially since I already have to take care of a pissy man child."

"You're such a dick." Ash grumbled while marching along behind his much more eager friend.

"I know." Gary responded quickly before spotting an open registration line. Practically dragging Ash along, Gary bulldozed his way through unaware trainers to get to the registration desk.

A moment later Gary was casually leaning up against the registration desk with Ash standing behind him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hello Nurse Joy, looking wonderful as always my dear. Gary Oak reporting for duty." Gary threw in a little salute to the blushing Joy.

"Well Gary, it seems you are in the system. Let me get you registered I'll need your pokedex." Gary's top of the line easily identified him as who he said he was for Nurse Joy. Silence hung over the three while Nurse Joy typed away. "There we go added into the system for you. And here is your pass. I think we have you in building F in a double unit with an Ash Ketchum."

"That'd be me." Ash stepped up as Nurse Joy handed Gary his pass and key card. To be honest he was just happy that Gary had not done anything ridiculous like dump him in a room with a stranger.

"Ah Ash!" A smile crossed Nurse Joy's face. "It's been a while. Pikachu still putting holes in Pokemon Centers?"

"Huh?" Ash responded unintelligibly.

This reaction caused Nurse Joy to laugh aloud. "I was the Nurse Joy you ran into in Viridian City, remember?"

"Oh Yeah!" Ash responded with a smile. "Sorry Nurse Joy it's just that…you all kinda look the same."

Nurse Joy nodded in understanding. "I'll just need to see your pokedex to confirm not that I really need it."

"Sure thing!" Ash dug around in his pockets for a moment before pulling out the new pokedex that Professor Oak had given him. "Er I don't think I've actually used this thing yet I kinda lost my old one and Professor Oak gave me this new one a few days before we started off to Indigo."

"Not a problem, Ash." With ease Nurse Joy took the pokedex out of Ash's hand and turned it on. A moment later the pokedex started up.

The three jumped in surprise when Professor Oak's voice came out of the small pokedex. "Ah! Hello there! I am a pokedex that has been programmed for a young man that goes by the name Ash Ketchum. Ash is a trainer from Pallet Town and a fairly responsible young man. I remember a time though when he was in diapers and he decided to run starkers through Pallet Town. Let me tell you we all got an eye full that day. Ash has…let's see now where did I…Ah! Here it is clearance to take care of wounded pokemon as it appears he has earned honorary Ranger status. Which reminds me of a story between Gary and Ash…now if I can…"

"Turn it off turn it off turn it off!" Gary all but screamed as he grabbed the pokedex out of Nurse Joy's hands and tried to hit the cancel button. Unfortunately he just made the volume louder. "Dammit Gramps! What sin against god have you created!?"

The pokedex continued on unaffected. "Now I remember! Well you see the two of them decided they were big bad Trainers and decided to start their journey early without nary a pokemon to their name."

Ash's eyes widened as he realized the story that Professor Oak had recorded. A moment later he joined Gary in trying to silence the damn thing. Nurse Joy on the other hand was completely useless and was too busy laughing which started to draw a crowd.

"Well Delia and I had to go find them. Wouldn't you know it, we found the pair of them a mile outside of town that night hiding in the tall grass and crying because a lost Hoothoot had scared them. They kept screaming about a demon bird that was out to take their souls. Oh they cried all the way back to Pallet Town! In fact I think they had night terrors for a while after that. What really was interesting was that they tended to wet their beds the same night as if synchronized. Who would have thought a harmless Hoothoot would have caused so much trouble. Now look at how much they have grown which reminds me of another funny story." Professor Oak's pokedex continued to prattle on.

Finally Ash just took the pokedex out of Gary's hand and started to stomp on it until it finally went silent. Both trainers let out a relieved sigh before Ash picked up the pokedex.

Upon inspection Ash found that it was looking nothing worse for the wear. Which was unfortunate since Ash wouldn't have been disappointed if it had been smashed to bits and had to inform the Professor he needed a new dex.

Nurse Joy finally managed to recover from her laughter enough to provide Ash his ID Card and keycard to the apartment he would share with Gary. Presenting a professional face the practiced Nurse managed to fight through the urge to laugh and spoke in a much calmer tone. "Well I wish you luck Ash. Between you and me a lot of the Nurse Joys are rooting for you. I don't think you've ever made a single bad impression."

"Oh…er thanks Nurse Joy." Ash scratched the back of his head. "Well I'll try my best I promise."

"I know you will." Nurse Joy responded with a smile.

The two Pallet Town Trainers quickly made their way down the main street in the trainer's village and away from the embarrassing scene that had drawn a crowd. In every direction there were tall buildings and shops galore. Trainers, spectators, League officials, and children were everywhere.

"I'd say I'm astounded that Gramps would do something like that but it is right up his alley." Gary grumbled.

Laughing a little, Ash looked over the pokedex before commenting. "Yeah I'm kinda concerned what the pokemon descriptions are like that he loaded in there."

"If your identification is anything to go off of I'm going to go with pretty much terrible." Gary responded as he put his arms behind his head. "Gramps said he was working on updating Dexters voice but I didn't realize he was developing a torture device."

"Yeah well I think I just found my motivation to continue my pokemon journey." Ash commented lightly.

"Oh yeah?" Gary asked with some genuine interest.

"Yeah." Ash smirked a little. "To travel the world and try to unload this sin against god on one of the other regional Professors and hope they don't check it out before I am well away from their lab with a normal regional dex."

Gary laugh a loud. "Well whatever motivates you."

"Wow I'm still amazed how big this place has grown." Ash commented as he changed gears and finally looked around at the shops. Some of them he recognized from his time here as a young boy and others were new.

Gary nodded a little as he meandered along. "Yeah well ever since Sinnoh's Lily of the Valley premiered it's new stadium and amenities, Indigo has really been making an effort to catch up."

"Well they certainly have done that in spades. Hmmm really should tell Mom to get a Pallet House opened up here. It would rake in money no questions asked." Ash had been eyeing the competition and couldn't really find anything that could really compare in his biased opinion.

Groaning aloud, Gary smacked the back of Ash's head. "Stop thinking work. You aren't even an employee there anymore. You gotta start thinking pokemon. I need you to have pokemon on the brain 24/7!"

"Pika!" Pikachu chimed in agreement with Gary's assessment.

Meanwhile Ash was left to rub the back of his head with his free hand. "Geez Gary I'm sorry I see potential."

"Well how about you stop assessing your business options and start thinking strategy. It will be a real embarrassment if you get knocked out in your first round." Gary responded.

"I won't!" Ash responded sullenly.

Gary continued to make fun of Ash and his upcoming chances in the League. Ash though had tuned his friend out completely. Instead a young girl about the age of five had caught his eye. The young girl was clearly lost and on the verge of tears as she tried to push through the ever growing crowd that steadily flowed down the main drag. What really caught his attention was how much she looked like May when he first met her in Hoenn.

A moment later decision made, Ash dashed off into the crowd.

"Hey! Ash did you hear me! Where the hell are you going?" Gary called out when he realized that Ash and Pikachu had disappeared from his side. A moment later though Gary caught sight of the problem and he started off to retrieve his wayward friend. "Mew almighty still playing hero."

Ash bullied his way through the crowd. Luckily Gary's training regimen had gotten him back into the same shape he had been in during his travels. He had slimmed down considerably but still had broad enough shoulders he easily pushed his way to the little girl.

"Hey there, my name is Ash and this is Pikachu!" Ash pointed to Pikachu who gave the little girl a giant smile. "Can we help you?"

"Uh huh." The little girl nodded. "I was gonna surprise mommy but I got lost and all these people came outta nowhere."

"Here let's get you outta here." Ash bent down and gently took the young girl's hand and lead her off to the side of the main drag and into a pocket of free space in front of some of the shop fronts.

"Picking up a stray already Ketchum." Gary chuckled as he shouldered his way through the crowd and came up next to Ash. The researcher eyed the child for a moment and immediately saw the similarities between May and the young girl. "Who's the squirt."

For her part the little girl stomped on the ground before turning bright red and let loose on Gary. "I'm notta squirt! My name is Sam!"

"Huh why are you dressed as a girl then?" Gary prodded.

"I'm girl!" Samantha stomped her foot down but this time brought it down on Gary's toes.

Sighing in annoyance, Ash just shook his head. "Seriously? How old are you?"

Gary was currently nursing his foot and just glared at Ash. "If you would stop playing hero we wouldn't be having this problem."

"I couldn't just leave her there in that crowd." Ash rolled his eyes at Gary's comments. Turning his attention away from his friend, Ash smiled a little at the girl. "Well then Sam, where were you trying to go?"

"I was gonna surprise mommy at her show." The little girl innocently responded.

"Ok do you know where it is?" Ash queried.

Shaking her head a little Samantha started to cry again when she realized she didn't in fact know where her mommy worked. If they were still in Sinnoh she could have gotten there without any issue. When she signed herself out of daycare to surprise her mom she had forgotten she didn't know where the new show was.

"Alright alright." Ash gently picked the crying child up and rocked her back and forth a little. "We'll find your mom. Do you know where you live or her number or name?"

"Nu uh Mommy is Mommy." Samantha responded.

Rolling his eyes, Gary grumbled. "Of course she is."

Ash silenced his friend with a glare over the child's shoulder since her face was currently buried in the nook of his shoulder. "Gary shut it."

Glancing around, Gary found that the crowd was thankfully dying down and there were not nearly as many people crowding the main drag any longer. "Come on, we'll find a Police Officer and get this sorted out."

"Do you want me to carry you, Sam?" Ash queried as he continued to gently rock the crying little girl. "We're going to find an Officer Jenny to help you find your Mom."

"I can walk." Samantha mumbled before wiggling a little to get down.

Smirking a little, Ash set the little girl back down but made sure to keep a hold of her hand.

Pikachu crawled down off of Ash's shoulder and offered his tail to the little girl to hold since he was a little too big to sit on her shoulder. "Pi Ka!"

With a cry of delight the little girl grabbed the small electric rodent's tail with her free hand and giggled as she was led along by the tiny creature her tears forgotten.

"You know we could be unpacking right now." Gary pointed out as he glanced down at the little rug rat that Ash had taken in. This little girl without a doubt looked just like May. The clothing was a bit off being a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a red collared polo. The complexion matched May as did the shape of the girl's face from when he met the girl. The blue eyes and the light brown hair even matched May's exactly. The only thing missing was the bandana and the girl would almost look like a carbon copy of May Maple.

"Yeah well what's the fun in life without the detours you told me yourself to stop being so dead set on getting to the end as fast as I can." Ash was pleased as punch to parrot back Gary's own advice to him.

"Yeah…well I didn't mean this." Gary grumbled as he continued to walk with Ash, Sam, and Pikachu. 'Now to see if Ashy boy is as dense as ever.' Coughing a bit to get Ash's attention, Gary motioned to Sam. "She look like anyone we know?"

"Huh?" Ash responded with a curious look. At Gary's insistence though he looked over Sam and attempted to see what Gary was talking about. After a full minute though nothing was coming to mind and he gave up with a slight shrug. "No why?"

"No reason." Gary responded while casually whistling.

"Well who's she look like if you are so sure I should know her!" Ash responded in a slightly heated tone. He hated when Gary mocked him like this.

"Uh no way." Gary shook his finger. "No way am I telling you. If you can't figure it out it isn't my problem."

"Fine be that way." Ash huffed in annoyance. Just as he was about to ask Sam how she was doing the little girl broke away.

"Unca Barry!" The little girl screeched in delight before making a bee line down the sidewalk until she threw herself onto Barry's leg.

"Huh? Sammy? What are you doing here?" Barry awkwardly patted the kid's head.

Barry's date on the other hand didn't take it so well. "You've got a kid?" The young girl that clearly was in her early twenties at best pulled a slightly disgusted face. "This date is over!"

"Wait! Veronica!" Barry reached out with his free hand but the young girl was already half way across the street in a huff. He had to hide a groan from coming out. Without a doubt he knew he was going to score tonight well at least until Sammy came out of nowhere and attached to his leg.

"Barry. Glad we found someone who knew this kid." Gary shot a smirk towards the blond haired pretty boy as he strolled up towards the pair.

"Yeah we found her lost in the street looking for her mom." Ash said as he stepped up next to Gary. The moment he saw Barry in person it finally clicked. Somehow seeing him in clothing that looked closer to what he wore in Sinnoh brought everything back to Ash. The suit and tie on TV seemed to have changed Barry just enough that Ash had never really noticed. Not that he paid much attention to anything other than May on the show. "Oh hey Barry long time no see!"

Barry pulled an odd face at Ash's statement. "What are you talking about Ketchum? You know who Sammy's mom is right?" The TV personality had a sinking feeling that perhaps Ash did not know about Sam despite May's protests to the contrary.

Shaking his head, Ash just looked confused. "Nope first time I've met her but Gary says that she looks like someone we both know if he is to be believed."

Barry glanced down at Sam and could not see anything other than May shining through, glancing back at Ash, Barry just shook his head. 'I don't know if getting hit by a bullet train would even phase him.'

Gary just rolled his eyes at Ash's inability to put two and two together. 'Really Ash? The girl knows Barry well enough to call him Uncle and Sam's mom works on TV and happens to be at Indigo Plateau. Well at least this explains why May never came to the Christmas Party and avoided everyone at all costs despite being in Sinnoh.'

"Uh what's up guys?" Ash noticed the pair were giving him looks with varying degrees of disbelief.

"Nothing Ash." Gary quickly answered. "We should probably get going."

"Yeah alright, well nice seeing you again Barry." Ash gave the older man a wave before shooting a smile at Sam. "Nice meeting you Sam say hi to your mom."

The little girl looked back at Ash and smiled shyly before waving back. "Thank you Mr. Ash!" A moment later the little girl engulfed Pikachu in a hug. "Thank you Pikachu you're the best!"

"No problem." Ash responded.

"Pi Pika chu!" Pikachu gave the girl a final thumbs up before he dashed up Ash's leg and back onto his shoulder.

With a final wave the three departed from Barry and Sam.

"So are you gonna tell me or not?" Ash asked Gary as they slowly walked along the main path towards the building that they were going to be staying in.

Laughing aloud, Gary shook his head. "No way Ashy boy, if you are too slow to figure it out then I'm not telling you."

"Jerk." Ash muttered.

"Yeah yeah. I would have thought with your attention to detail in business would have bled over to people but apparently that ain't happening." Gary chuckled a little.

"I'm good at business so sue me." Ash muttered.

"Maybe I will." Gary retorted.

The pair then fell into a companionable silence as they trudged along the Indigo grounds. Their silence was interrupted though just as they were about to get to the building they were staying in finally.

"Hey Gary!" A voice called out from the crowd.

"Ughhh…you've gotta be kidding me." Gary cried out aloud. He was so close…so close to a shower after their journey on Victory Road at Ash's insistence since it would in Ash's words 'Make it a real experience.'

"Hey!" The person finally made it through the crowd and doubled over the moment they were through breathing heavily from the run to catch up.

"Huh…hey Brock what's up?" Gary asked.

Brock raised his one hand off of his knee and lifted a finger in the air to indicate he needed a moment.

"OH hey Brock!" Ash cried out excited to see his long time traveling companion.

"Ash?" Brock asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…I'm competing…" Ash mumbled looking a little embarrassed over the fact.

"Oh hey and Pikachu I haven't seen you in forever!" Brock shot a smile at the small electric rodent.

"Pikkkka" Pikachu smiled happily before sending a glare down at Ash.

"I know I know I'm sorry Pikachu." Ash gingerly patted Pikachu's head hoping not to receive another thundershock for his troubles. Turning his attention to Brock, Ash shot his friend an awkward smile while rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "Umm hey so long time no see…"

"I'll let you two catch up." Gary smirked before leaving his friend behind to deal with Brock alone.

"Thanks Gary." Ash muttered.

"So you're competing again?" Brock tentatively asked.

"Umm yeah…uh…my Mom kinda fire me." Ash laughed a little causing Brock to raise an eyebrow.

"So you decided to be a trainer again?" Brock asked.

Shrugging a little, Ash nodded a little. "Uh…well my Mom…you know how she can be when she's angry. She kinda set me straight and Gary kinda made me realize what a dick I was being. So I mean I owe it to my pokemon to make an attempt ya know. That and Pikachu will murder me if I put him back in the ball again."

Brock smiled hesitantly at the statement. "Yeah I know Pikachu hates being in his ball." With that Brock rubbed Pikachu behind the ears.

Ash nodded a little as the uncomfortable silence dropped over the two. Ash just stared at the ground while Brock concentrated on Pikachu.

"So Pikachu looks to be in tip top shape." Brock commented trying to break the silence.

Taking the topic, Ash ran with it. Excitement actually entered his voice again for the first time in a long time when it concerned Pokemon. "Yeah! Well Gary and I went through a training regimen to get both myself and my team back into shape."

"I'll bet." Brock chuckled once more the silence descended upon the two.

"Brock…look I…I mean." Ash struggled with the words unsure how to articulate what he wanted to say.

Luckily for Ash, Brock held no ill will towards the younger trainer. He understand better than anyone what it was to get caught up in something. "That you'll never do it again and you are done trying to play grown up, and if you ever leave pokemon training again it will because you decide it is the right thing for you. It will not be due to you feeling you can no longer have a dream you feel is something you have outgrown out of some odd sense it is for children."

"Uh…yeah actually." Ash laughed a little and scratched the back of his head. "Look I am sorry though it's not excuse."

Brock placed one of his hands on Ash's shoulder and shot the younger man a smirk. "Look Ash it hurt that you left us all even when you were there physically you were to concerned with business to pay attention to us."

"I know I'm really sorry…I mean there really isn't any excuse for it." Ash mumbled a little embarrassed that Brock had hit the nail right on the head.

"Yeah but I really can't stay mad at you. I did the same thing when I got into Pokemon Med School." Brock confided. "I just…luckily am not as hard headed as you are. Forrest confronted me one night after he hadn't seen me for a week because I was off studying. He made me realize I while I was advancing in my career and living my dream I was not making any time for anyone else. After that I put aside one night a week to spend with my family no matter how busy I was. So I understand how you ended up where you ended up but just don't let it happen again alright?"

Ash nodded gratefully to Brock a smile finally crossing his face. "You bet Brock…but again I am really sorry about everything."

Brock held up a hand to stop Ash. "Really don't worry about apologizing to me I understand."

"Thanks Brock." Ash sighed in relief.

A devious grin crept across Brock's face. "Beside I wouldn't want you to squander your best excuses on me. You still have to contend with Max, Iris, and Misty."

Ash's smile faltered as he realized he was in fact screwed. "Ah crap…"

Brock nodded a serious expression coming over his face. "Yes you are screwed but with a little perseverance you'll get through it. Mostly in one piece…if you're lucky." Ending the thought with a shit eating grin, the once gym leader of Pewter patted Ash on the shoulder.

"Are they here yet?" Ash ventured.

"Nope not yet." Brock shook his head with a small smile. "Max should be here in another day or two. You know how he likes to be prepared. Iris will be here by the end of the week and boy will she kill you. Misty probably won't be here until closer to the start of the tournament since she does have to keep the gym open until the bitter end."

"Well…at least that leaves Cilian and Dawn on my side." Ash let out a breathe of relief.

Brock laughed at the comment. "Yeah…no you're still going to get it from the two of them but I think they like me are going to be more understanding."

"Oh great…" Ash muttered.

Brock laughed again in Ash's expense before finally lifting his hand off Ash's shoulder. "You'll survive it Ash. Just remember the fetal position is probably the best if you rile Misty up too much. Just nod a lot and agree and you'll make it through. If not well I am a Doctor."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Ash muttered a sullen look crossing his face.

"Well Ash I gotta get going I am running a clinic in half an hour. You should stop by sometime my shop it right down on the main drag." Brock mentioned before a lecherous grin crossed his face. "Not to mention all the other Doctor's and Assistant's there are total babes."

Rolling his eyes, Ash couldn't help but smile a little. "Same old Brock. Well I will be sure to stop by. Gary and I are here in Building F level 20 and apartment 30 if you want to stop by."

Brock nodded before started to head off towards his clinic. "No problem we'll get together sometime later this week. But seriously make sure to bring your pokemon by so I can give them a once over before the tournament."

"Thanks Brock." Ash called out. "I mean it really thanks!"

Brock waved once more as he walk off his hand held high enough the Ash could see it as Brock disappeared into the crowd.

Ash was actually looking forward to see the rest of his friends despite the potential arguments that his reappearance may spawn. "We'll get through it right Pikachu?"

Pikachu just stared incredulously at his trainer before shaking his head. "Pika…Pi Ka chu!"

"Er right…or I will…" Ash muttered. "Thanks for the support."

"Ka!" Pikachu smirked lightly as the pair disappeared into the complex together.

A/N: I know I'm sorry I threw in a standard cliché into my story but I needed a reason for May to quit Coordinating and I didn't want to use the same excuse as Ash of he gave up on it. I needed May to have an adult reason to quit and that was creating a fairly stable home life for her child. Anyway being that the child looks completely like May I have left it open as to who the father is. Should I go down the super cliché route of it being Ash's or make it someone else's! No one knows but read and review! Hope the interaction with Brock was satisfying. I will say that Brock's reaction will probably be the shortest and calmest of all the interactions. I'm not sure


End file.
